Horizontal sheeting.



%ITNE.SSES v WM 0\ By gliorneys, 0 M

J. B. GOLDSBORIOUGH.

HORIZONTAL SHEETING.

APPLICATION FILED APn.26, 19x5.

INVENTOR JOHN B. GOLDSIBOROUGH, OF CROTON, NEW YORK.

HORIZONTAL SHEETING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917..

Application filed April 26, 1915. Serial N 0. 24,123.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN B. GOLDS- BOROUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing in Croton, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horizontal Sheetings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to horizontal sheeting for the lining of an excavation as the excavation proceeds, and aims to provide an improved construction thereof.

In engineering construction it frequently becomes necessary, particularly in large cities such as New York, in connection with excavations for the construction of subway transit lines, to form an excavation close to the foundation of an existing building. As such subways are usually provided for busy localities, the buildings lining the streets through which the subway runs are apt to be very heavy and to impose a concentrated load upon the soil. Frequently the soil is saturated with water at the point at which the excavation is made, and is of a character such as fine sand which, while furnishing a durable foundation when properly confined, will, when deprived of its lateral support, easily fiow, with disastrous results. It is frequently the case that it is inadvisable to disturb the existing foundations of the building, and if the adjacent excavation is to proceed to a depth below the level of the base of these foundations, new foundations must be provided which may be more extended, and are usually carried to a greater depth. To avoid the necessity for temporary supports of the structure being underpinned, which are not advisable, it is desirable to underpin the existing foundation without disturbing the original foundation. This frequently requires the construction of a pit directly beneath the existlng' foundation for the reception of the underpinning.

In either of the foregoing instance it is inadvisable to construct such pit by the ordinary method of driving sheeting into the soil and excavating between the sections, because in both cases theshock of the pile driver is apt to cause too great a disturbance of the earth, and in the case of a pit constructed directly beneath the existing foundations the necessary head-room is not obtainable. In such and other instances hori zontal sheeting, to which my invention relates, 1s advantageously employed.

Such horizontal sheeting is inserted section by section as the excavation proceeds, care being taken to excavate no more than is necessary for the insertion of a horizontal row of sections. Owing to the character of the soil referred to, it is highly desirable that the character of the soil should be subject to constant inspection to see if any voids exist therein behind the last laid sections of sheeting, as such voids, if they do exist and are not corrected, are apt to subsequently cause settlement. It is also desirable to provide means for promptly filling such voids if they exist.

It is also highly desirable that the sheeting to be laid should he possessed of considerable strength, so as to resist the lateral thrust of the earth under compression. In obtaining these objects my invention consists in providing a sheeting which is constructed in sections and wherein the body or web is provided with an opening through which the bank of earth immediately behind the section just inserted may be in spected, and which is of suiiicient size to permit the insertion of the requisite amount of filling material and to allow a tamping tool to be inserted to compact the earth when such filling is required.

I prefer, likewise, to provide the said sheet lining with flanges, and when the flanges are provided on both edges they will project in the same directions, enabling the sections to lie with their flanges in contact after insertion, by which means the lining formed by the assembled sections is stiffened and strengthened, and as these sections are preferably made of sheet metal, a lighter metal may be employed with equally advantageous results.

Desirable forms in which my invention may be embodied are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 illustrates an elevation of the lining of one side of a pit according to my invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates a section of such lining showing attaching means that may be employed.

Fig. 3 is another view illustrating a modified form of attaching means.

Fig. 4t is a cross-section on the line i --46, :Figa a v Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a slightly diflerent construction of sheeting.

Figs. 6 and 7 are plan and section views illustrating a connection which may be employed for the form of sheeting illustrated in Fig. 5.

According to my present invention the sheeting, as illustrated in the various figures of the drawing, is formed in sections adapted for independent insertion against the sides of the excavation as the excavation proceeds. To enable the excavator to observe the condition of the soil immediately behind the section of sheeting which has been last laid, I provide the said section with openings A which are preferably formed in each section and, as illustrated, two of such openings are placed in each section. The advantage of an opening which extends through the web of the section will, I think, be apparent for by its means the condition of practically the entire bank of earth back of the section may be observed, and a substantial void therein caused by settlement of the earth may be detected, which would probably escape observation through the inspection which might be afforded from the edge.

The openings A are preferably formed, as illustrated, by cuts in the web B of the sections C. These sections are preferably made of sheet metal and the cuts, as illus trated, cause the formation of two flanges, a a which I prefer to make by long easy bends, as shown. whereby the said flanges take the form'of flaring lips. These will be arranged, as shown, with theupper lip or flange a, which inclines downwardly, being on the bank or outward side of the section, and the lower lip or flange a which inclines upwardly, being on the other or inward side and projecting toward the ex cavation. Thereby, as clearly seen in the sectional views (Figs. 2 and 5), the opening A is lined by two walls composed of the flanges a, a and is inclined downwardly from front to rear, so that the lower flange a provides a barrier and prevents the flow of earth outward from the said opening. This is because the natural angle of repose of the material from the edge of the upper flange a falls within the edge ofthe lower flange a Through this opening A the excavator inspects the earth behind the web B and may insert filling material in any voids or settlement that he detects in the earth. This filling material, if desired, may be taken directly from the bottom of the pit if the material is of a compact nature, or other material such asdamp clay may be kept on hand and inserted for this purpose. Such material will usually be tamped into place so as to thoroughly compact and consolidate the filling behind each section. The opening A is of suflicient extent longitudinally to provide for the inspection of a considerable area of the bank behind the section B, and is also sufficiently wide to allow for the insertion .of filling material therein and for the insertion of a tamping tool.

I prefer to construct the sections of sheet ing, with longitudinal edge flanges, and, as illustrated, the flanges are preferably situated at both the upper and lower edges of each section, and when so situated project in the same direction. As illustrated in Fig. 2, each section there shown has a top flange D and a bottom flange E, and these flanges project in the same direction in each section, and all the sections of the lining preferably have their longitudinal flanges project in the same direction. When the sections are laid, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the bottom flange E of one section is in1- mediately over the top flange D of the next section below, and in contact therewith, and the bearing surface provided thereby, together with the increased strength in each section aflorded by the flanges, causes the frame of the pit provided by the series of sections to be very stiif and strong.

In Fig. 2 the flanges are illustrated as projecting away from the bank of earth.

. They may, however, be inserted as in Fig.

5, wherein the flanges project toward the earth, and in such form the flanges will very materially assist in sustaining; the individual sections in place as they are inserted. It will be perceived that with the longitudinal flanges D, E formed as in Fig.

the openings A and the flanges a, a bordering the same are not changed, but are constructed in the same way and occupy the same positions with relation to the bank, and that the lower flange a projects away from the bank, and the upper flange a tovard the bank.

It is desirable to provide a connection between adjacent flanges in the same horizontal row, and it may be desirable to provide connections between adjacent horizontal rows, and I have illustrated connections which may be employed for this purpose. In Fig. 2 I have illustrated the employment of a simple clip F which provides connection between vertically adjacent sections by passing over the contacting flanges of the said sections, and in the section above it a bolt G passing through the said flanges is employed for the same purpose.

In Figs. 3 and 4; I have'illustrated a con nection applicable to the construction of Fig. 2, which not only connects the adjacent ends of sections in the same horizontal row, but also connects one horizontal row to an adjacent horizontal row. Here the connection is provided by means of a plate I having rectangular outer edges, which is placed row, but likewise connects vertically adjacent rows. In this form the connection 1s provided by an L-shaped bracket H which is adapted to overlap the ends of four sections, being the lower ends of two sections in one horizontal row and the upper ends of the corresponding sections in the next lower horizontal row. Bolts h, k passing through the bracket secure it to each of the four said sections.

In the use of my invention the longitudinal flanges, being. situated on the same side of the section and being in contact after insertion, cause the sections to act together instead of separately, and to impart added stiffness to the assembled lining as a whole.

An advantage of the flanges a, a in the web is due to the fact that by their use not only is the flow of material through the openings A prevented, but their presence adds greatly to the stiffness of the web and the consequent strength and security of the lining as a whole. This advantage is enhanced by the fact that the said flanges extend throughout a substantial part of the length of each section, and this fact also enables me to inspect a great part of the area of the earth behind the section and to insert the filling material where it is desired.

I have illustrated the most desirable form of constructing the said sheet lining now known to me, but it will be obvious that the same may be modified within the limits of the appended claims, and that the methods of attaching the sections together are suggestive only of a number of equivalent methods which may be substituted therefor within the skill of those connected with this art.

What I claim is 1. A sheet lining for excavations composed of superposed sections laid horizontally, the webs of said sections being disposed vertically against the bank, and having a pair of oppositely projecting flanges formed in said webs providing openings for inspection and insertion of material, the up-" per flange bordering said opening projecting outwardly and the lower flange inwardly.

2. A sheet lining for excavations composed of sections laid horizontally, each section having a web disposed vertically against the bank, and longitudinal flanges on each. edge of the web projecting in the same direction, and oppositely projecting flaring lips being formed in the web providing openings for inspection and reception of material.

3. A sectional sheet lining having a web, a longitudinal edge flange thereon, and having oppositely disposed upper and lower flaring lips cut out of its body, the upper lip being flared outwardly and the lower lip being flared inwardly, providing an opening between said lips for inspection and reception of material.

4. A sheet lining for excavations constructed in horizontal sections, each section having a web, a pair of flanges on the opposite longitudinal edges of said web, and projecting in the same direction substantially at right angles to the web, and oppositely disposed upper and lower flaring lips cut out of the body of said web, the upper lip being flared outwardly and the lower lip being flared inwardly, providing an opening between said lips for inspection and reception of material, and connections between adjacent sections in the same horizontal row.

5. A sheet lining for excavations constructed. in horizontal sections, each section having a web, a pair of flanges on the opposite longitudinal edges of said web, and projecting in the same direction substantially at right angles to the web, and oppositely disposed upper and lower flaring lips cut out of the body of said web, the upper lip being flared outwardly and the lower lip being flared inwardly, providing an opening between said lips for inspection and reception of material, connections between adjacent sections in the same horizontal row, and adjacent horizontal rows being connected vertically.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN B. GOLDSBOROUGH.

Witnesses:

Jones R. BRUGHAND, RUTH Momns.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

